>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today." with lester holt, and erica hill. live, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> and i'm lester holt. we want to get right to the breaking news coming out of the bronx this morning. that train derailment. this is a metro north train that is a large commuter line that connects new york city. reports of multiple injuries. according to the firt department of new york. there is a still photo taken a short time ago.

>> reporter: we're going to pan over and show you, from my vantage point, maybe at least 10 or so cars. shrubbery blocking our viewpoint. from poughkeepsie to grand central. unclear how the train got flipped off its tracks out here. we're standing by for more information from officials. >> wnbc following that report. early reports of multiple injuries. more during this broadcast. >> we want to turn to the of actor paul walker. an ironic twist of fate to many. best known for his role in the "fast and furious" movie series about racing fast cars, died in a car crash. fans and celebrities alike

taking to social media. good morning. >> good morning, erica. it could be days before police know what caused this horrific crash. what we do know is that paul walker was attending a charity event for his organization. traveling at the edge of control is how we picture him. paul walker's signature character cheated death many times in the "fast and furious" movies. but saturday afternoon on the real live streets of valencia, california, he died in a fiery car crash. his publicist posted this on facebook. it is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that paul walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organization, reach out worldwide. he was a passenger in a friend's car, in which both lost their lives. >> we responded and found the

vehicle was fully engulfed. it appears speed might have been a factor. >> reporter: two bodies were found inside the car. >> how can this happen. he just released a movie. i was just watching it the other day. the next thing you know, he's gone. >> reporter: paul walker was currently filming the seventh "fast and furious" movie. >> we've been forced together more or less now for a long time. as a result, cool things have happened. >> reporter: paul walker was 40 years old. the cause of the crash is still under investigation. there's no word yet on funeral arrangements, but of course, word quickly spread on social media, with fans and fellow co-stars like vin diesel with whom he worked with for 14 years, expressing their shock and grief. brother, i'll miss you very much. heaven gained a new angel. rest in peace. his other fast and furious co-star said my heart is hurting so bad, nobody can make me believe this is real.

father god i praise in clarity over this. paul walker, dead at the age of 40, survived by one daughter. >> very, very sad story. >> alicia, thank you sglsmgs now for the latest on the health care website. the white house promised it would be running more smoothly by today. now it is crunch time. kristen welker is live at the white house. good morning. >> reporter: lester, administration officials say this website will be functioning smoothly for most americans. they're expected to announce later on today that the site can support as many as 50,000 users at one time. that was the initial goal when they started these repairs. the question is, will that be enough to restore confidence in the website and in an embattled president. prident obama is facing one of the biggest tests of his presidency. has his add m, revived health care.gov. this weekend, some positive signs. >> reporter: sean pete is a

barber eager to get health care for himself and his kids. >> i love it. there was no problems. >> reporter: it was also smooth sailing for this woman. she had trouble signing up in october. but saturday, success. >> i was able to get all the way through and select a plan. >> reporter: nbc news spoke with six people who said, with the exception of a few glitches, the site functioned well. a nonprofit called neighbor's keeper helped them enroll. >> the ease of creating accounts for folks has been significantly improved, and the speed with which we're able to do so. >> reporter: in a saturday statement, an administration official wrote, this site is performing well today with low overall error rates, despite heavier than usual weekend traffic. but experts caution, serious work remains. >> the largest challenge with this site is making sure that it stays up and running. >> reporter: john endgates is one of six analysts the white house invited to test the facility, where technicians are

working around the clock to fix the website. it needs to support more than 50,000 users. >> this was a website in critical condition at the outset. it was in bad shape. i think this website is doing much better. >> reporter: now, some insurance companies are saying that they are still seeing some problems. administration officials continue to downplay expectations, urging people to logon during off-peak hours. we'll get an official update later on this morning. that's when those who are working on the site are going to hold a conference call with reporters. >> kristen welker this morning, thank you. david, good morning. good to see you. the promise here is it would be running more smoothly by the beginning of december. they've been a big ambiguous. how will they manage expectations going forward? >> very carefully. as kristen said, they want to monitor how people get onto the site. they want to target key groups. they've got to fix some of the

back end part of signing up, which is getting information to insurance companies. and they want to do something else as well. over time, they also want to deal with the fact that people are not going to necessarily choose a plan right away. they may become eligible, but they may not actually select a plan right away, because people will linger over that decision. >> as the president continues to be vulnerable going forward? they have to reach a certain number of people signed on for this plan to be effective overall. >> yeah, they need 2.8 million people for the risk pool to work out. there's also a lag effect here. remember, they want more and more stories of people getting on the site and navigating it well. you look at all the bad media coverage they've gotten, that nothing is working. so there's going to be a lag time even when it does start working. don't forget there are other tests as well. what's the impact on employees, are premiums going to go up. there are lots of impacts to this. and a big policy question as to

whether that individual mandate that individuals have to buy the insurance, might that be delayed. other parts of the program have been delayed. will they come to a point they will have to delay that. >> do we have a sense of what the political damage is, the president's broken promise over folks being able to keep their existing plans? how bad is it for him? >> i think it's very bad. i think the president had a big idea, and the jury is out on whether he can execute on that idea. and that is the big government test. because especially progressive government believes they can do good by people, do well for people. they've got to be able to execute on that. the white house understands that that jury is still out. and that's why the next weeks and months are critical. >> david, thanks very much. we'll check in with you later for a preview of what's coming up later this morning on "meet the press." the family of the 85-year-old american veteran being held in north korea said he's in good health.

the swedish ambassador was able to meet him on friday. >> reporter: after merrill newman received his first visitors after being detained more than a month ago, his family said he's received the medications that we sent him and medical personnel are checking on his health several times a day, they said in a statement. merrill reports he's being well treated and that the food is good. the white house released a statement this weekend saying it was deeply concerned about the welfare of newman, along with american kenneth bay who was detained more than a year ago. >> we're always hopeful that this increased attention to the case is moving things along. that it's moving in the right direction. >> reporter: as for newman, he's a korean war veteran who now calls california home. last month he fulfilled a dream by returning to north korea for a nine-day visit, but a military officer took him into custody at the airport as he was about to leave. on saturday, video of newman surfaced. it was released by korean state

media where newman apologized for hostile acts, including civilian deaths during the korean war. it could not be confirmed if newman himself wrote the four-page apology, but experts say it could be a positive sign of north korean's intentions. >> this may be a prelude to figuring out what it can extract from the united states for this release, and then the release. >> reporter: for "today," joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. >> we want to get you to the other stories and update on our top story this morning. >> andrea is standing by with more on the train derailment in new york city. >> we're just learning that at least four people are dead at the scene of a commuter train derailment in new york city. at least 48 others are hurt. police say a metro north passenger train went off the tracks in the bronx. it was going from poughkeepsie to new york city. photos taken of the scene show eight cars derailed. witnesses say none of the cars went into a nearby body of

water, but at least one ended up a few feet from the edge. we're learning new details this morning about the plane that crashed in a remote village of southwest alaska friday night. a 25-year-old woman whose 5-month-old baby who died in the crash was rescued from the scene. the single-engine plane was carrying ten people wehen it wet down, killing four people, including the baby. the nfl placed martin on the reserve nonfootball illness list, which means he cannot return until next season. martin left the dolphins in october after accusing teammates of harassing him. miami suspended lineman richie incognito as a result, a move he is appealing. a new world record for 63 women across the globe. the female skydivers made a plunge saturday over the arizona desert.

they set the world record for the largest olall-female formation. do you believe in football miracles? if you're an auburn football fan, you probably do now. alabama, maybe not so much. the team pulled off a stunning upset saturday, knocking off top ranked alabama. a play that can only be described as magical. >> running all the way back! auburn's going to win the football game! >> with just one second left in the game, alabama goes for the win with a 57-yard field goal attempt. but it falls short, and into the hands of auburn's chris davis. davis dashes down the left sideline, all the way to the end zone. there's the celebration. auburn wins the game. yes, we know you hear it. 34-28. >> i didn't have a dog in that fight, but i have watched that clip a dozen times already this morning. >> chris is going to be a rock

star when he goes back to class tomorrow. >> he already is. boy, what a rivalry between those two teams. >> it stings. >> yeah. >> andrea, thanks very much. dylan is here with the first check of the forecast. >> good morning. a huge travel day all across the country. the good news is, the weather is going to cooperate for most areas. with edo have a few clouds down across the south and a few lake-effect snow showers and rain showers moving into western new york. it's this bigger storm system in the pacific northwest. that's really our trouble spot as we go throughout the day today. we have pockets of steadier rain around seattle, stretching down to portland, oregon. there is mountain snow. but the snow is falling at very high elevations, higher than the mountain passes, so if you're getting from spokane to seattle or the other way around, you're not going to run into too much snow in the mountain passes. however, we'll see delays likely in seattle-tacoma airport. we are going to see the rain

continue to linger as we go throughout the majority of the day today, even into tomorrow. as for the snow, it is most lip in the highest elevations. but there is the possibility we could pick up several inches, especially as we head across idaho into montana as well. something we certainly will be keeping an e and we're waking up to temperatures right now in the 30s and 40s outside and a little bit of patchy fog, too, around napa and santa rosa this morning. we'll eventually see our temperatures once the fog breaks up break out to the 60s and low 70s. 69 in walnut creek. pleasanton, 72 degrees. around the peninsula, 67 degrees. san jose, 68. mostly sunny sky was a few high clouds as we head through the afternoon. 65 today in palo alto. and that is your latest forecast. lester? thanks, dylan. prince harry's long wait to begin his add ventower to the

south pole is over. he and his team of wounded warriors are off to the bottom of the world today. ayman mohyeldin is in london. >> it can be fun and games especially with the kind of headlines prince harry has been making in recent years. this time he's making headlines for the right reasons, a good cause and one that is certainly not without risk and injury as his journey to the south pole finally begins. >> reporter: after days of waiting and training, prince harry and his wounded warrior teammates finally have the go-ahead to begin their race to the south pole today. they arrived a week ago, eager to start. >> it's amazing how in six hours your morale can go from -- i mean, it was pretty high. >> too high. >> almost pouring over the edge. and suddenly rock bottom. >> reporter: but mother nature had other plans. severe weather continues delayed the start. the down time gave harry and his teammates even more time to prepare. and a chance to reflect about why he got into this in the first place.

>> for the team, probably, on my part. >> reporter: joking aside, this journey is no laughing matter. >> it really was a case of how i just have to do this. if i'm given the opportunity, it means i can actually help these guys out, creating more awareness for them or whatever. then, you know, so what it's minus 50, so what it's 90-mile-an-hour winds? >> reporter: it is extremely challenging, two weeks of trekking up to 13 miles a day in subfreezing temperatures and potentially deadly crevasses. duncan slater lost both of his legs in afghanistan. >> your body heat really drains out of the bottom of your legs when they're attached to your prosthetics. >> reporter: along with harry are teams from the commonwealth and the u.s. men and women all racing with a purple, to raise money for injured soldiers. so after months of training and days of waiting, the race to the pole is finally getting under way. and there's no doubting who

harry thinks will win. >> obviously the uk will win. >> well, there you heard prince harry saying the uk will win this race. obviously despite the cordial atmosphere in the camps and camaraderie among the teams, this is still a serious and competitive race. but really the true winners will be all of the injured soldiers who will benefit from this journey and all the money it will raise. lester? >> ayman, thanks very much. coming up next on "today" -- >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. ho ho ho. >> no! >> celebrating 30 years of a holiday movie classic. right after this. ♪ she's not famous. ♪ she's never been on a red carpet. ♪ but she's the star of my life. [ female announcer ] kay jewelers presents a collection from hollywood's premier jewelry designer neil lane designs. my designs are inspired by hollywood's glamorous past. hand-crafted diamond rings, earrings, and necklaces

with a vintage look. at kay, the number-one jewelry store in america. for the star in your life. ♪ every kiss begins with kay you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter. we've got our trees, the lights are on it. they'll be lit soon. holiday season is clearly in full swing. i'm sure it looks that way where you are, too. lights, music, holiday doorbusters. for many americans, though, it's really these holiday movies we see on a continuous loop that helps us set the mood.

>> it's all about tradition. "a christmas story." this year marks 30 years since it was first released. i love this scene. who doesn't love that scene? joelle gargiulo has a look back at that and how the city where it was filmed is celebrating. >> come on, smarty. >> reporter: chances are you'll never stick your tongue onto a frozen lamp post. and it's all because of this iconic scene. >> don't! >> reporter: it makes some cringe. >> it's terrible. >> reporter: some laugh. >> you think it's funny? >> reporter: but most can't help take a trip down memory lane just thinking about the 1983 classic, "a christmas story." >> oh -- >> reporter: 30 years later the holiday tale about a boy named ralphie and his wish for a bb gun is still a cult classic. >> i've seen it probably 100 times. >> it's like the funniest story i've ever seen.

>> reporter: now fanatics far and wide are getting a chance to relive the film and take a walk in ralphie's shoes thanks to brian jones who bought and renovated the cleveland house where parts of the movie were filmed. how does a town celebrate three decades of leg-shaped lamps and triple dog dares? >> i triple dog dare you. >> reporter: with appearances by the original cast members and a bb gun range in the backyard, of course. but be warned. >> you'll shoot your eye out, kid. >> reporter: for "today," joelle gargiulo, nbc news, new york. >> ho ho ho. >> no! >> and look what we have here. the miniature leg lamp. i will turn it on. it looks like i'm going up the skirt. but there it is. remember the box it came in, it was italian, fragile? >> and you've actually been to that house. >> i have. we did a story a couple years ago, we visited that house and the bathroom is there where he got his mouth washed out with soap. it's such a great movie.

>> i notice every year when it's on that 24-hour loop, i always catch it in the middle, watch it to the end and then watch the beginning. i've never watch it had from beginning to end. >> oh, that's funny. >> but we can all recite the lines. >> i know every one. >> i will reach up here and turn the lamp off. >> twice in one morning. >> talk to me after the show. still to come on a sunday edition of "today," from clothing to troys and everything in between, we've got the secrets to finding the best deals tomorrow on cyber monday. but first, these messages. what can i do with my $7 a month anemail the school. acfone? call the doctor. text the groomer. find gear for soccer. send invites to a party. post karate pics. help sean with history. battle of hastings... 1066. all that with my android from tracfone... now with three times the talk, text and data for as low as $7 a month. unbeatable nationwide coverage without a contract. the new huawei glory. tracfone. do everything for less.

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you are watching "today in the bay." and good sunday morning to you. we're off to kind of a chily start around the bay area right now. 40s outside around san francisco, 47 degrees. 44 in the east bay, but a few spots around the bay area waking up to some 30s. you're seeing some of that around napa and santa rosa. along with a little patchy fog. visibilities at times in the north bay down to about a mile, but some improving visibilities now with patchy fog in towards the delta. so a quick check of your hour-by-hour forecast, high clouds going by. and then more low clouds streaming in tomorrow morning. today's weather looks just fine. in terms of temperatures, 70 in santa rosa. 68 in

pleasanton, 72. a few other temperatures around the bay area, san francisco today mid-60s in the forecast. around the peninsula, down the peninsula towards candlestick look pretty good for the rams versus the 49ers. should see mid-60s, mostly sunny skies as that game goes on during the afternoon, and you can see our temperatures in the mid-60s, but you might notice as we go through the next few days, pus especially in the seven-day forecast, we will see cooler temperatures with the highs dipping into the low 50s. so the weekend finishing off on a pretty nice note, especially around the south bay with the highs close to 70 in saratoga. >> thanks so much, rob. we are following a developing story this morning about the 85-year-old palo alto man who is still detained in north korea. a new report this morning now saying that merrill newman served in a top secret u.s. army unit known as the white tigers during the korean war. a video released by north korea's state-run media shows the korean war veteran

apologizing, asking for forgiveness in a videotaped confession for allegedly killing north korean soldiers and civilians during the korean war. now, because a peace treaty was never signed, north korea says the war 60 years ago with south korea and the u.s. is not over and thus newman is technically a prisoner of war. campbell police are investigating an apparent murder/suicide involving an elderly couple. officers responded to an apartment on union avenue at 2:30 yesterday afternoon. when a family member went to check on the couple, they found the 89-year-old husband and 92-year-old wife dead from gunshot wounds. and now to an nbc bay area follow-up out of valet hoe where a 2-year-old boy is still in critical condition after he nearly drowned. fire crews responded to reports of a child in the water near the

vallejo fair grounds. they say his grandmother was with him at the time. >> report of a child approximately 2 years of age that was in the water. was fishing with his grandmother over here in the culvert. grandmother took her eyes off the kid for a short period of time and the 2-year-old fell into the water. >> the boy was rushed to kaiser in vallejo where doctors managed to get a pulse before sending him to children's hospital in oakland. coming up at 7:00, why protesters say they will be demonstrating at this building in redwood city tomorrow. all the day's news in a half hour.

we're back on thi we're back on this sunday morning, the first day of december, 2013. is this the first day of december? >> it is. and it's my husband's birthday. >> happy birthday! >> we thank all of them for spending their sunday with us. and you as well. nice to have you here. i'm lester holt, along with erica hill. >> a lot going on on this sunday. we if irs want to get you caught up on the morning headlines. the top story at this hour, at least four people are dead, dozens more injured after a commuter train derailed here in new york city this morning. several cars went off the

tracks, plunging close to the harlem river in the bronx. actor paul walker was best known in his role for his role in the "fast and furious" movie franchise. officials say the obama care.gov should be able to allow 50,000 users at the same time. some fans are calling this the greatest football game ever. 109-yard kick with no time remaining to knock off top ranked alabama. still to come in the half hour, the biggest internet shopping day of the year. how to find the best deals on cyber monday. do you ever wonder how santa gets his look-alikes to help out around the country? let's begin this half hour with a 5th grade teacher to post the dangers of posting your

photo. she tells us what happens next was a huge surprise, even to her. we get more on her amazing story and reaction from nbc correspondent janet shamlian. >> reporter: when julie posted this photo on her facebook page, they never dreamed 5 million people would end up seeing it. or that it would be altered in a dozen ways. and with a tip of the hat to john madden, like this. >> i really wanted to have a way to show them how quickly things travel. >> reporter: she's a teacher in indian lake. in the foet po she's holding a note that says i'm talking toin a photo can be seen by lots of people. if you are reading this, please click like. thanks!" within hours, thousands had liked and shared the photo on facebook. then it really took off. a worldwide audience in just a few days after it was reposted

on various websites. views skyrocketed. >> it was definitely a little overwhelming. i didn't expect that. that's kind of the lesson is to teach the kids that anyone can see it. >> reporter: a lesson for julie as well. she changed her facebook privacy settings after discovering personal photos were publish viewable. and then there are the manipulations of julie's original photo. the internet had a field day with it. >> this teacher's experiment was fun. and it was relatively harmless. but it can have serious consequences from personal information to sense tiitive photography that you don't want people seeing, private details about your life. >> reporter: even with the alterations, julie says she has no regrets. >> i'm really pleased that it's been able to give other people something to talk about with their kids. >> reporter: and how anyone can take liberties with an online photo. for "today," janet shamlian, nbc news. >> i think lesson learned. >> such a great lesson.

>> isn't it? she'll also find out that will live forever. another lesson of the internet. >> for a long time. time now for a final check of the weather. dylan is outside. >> good morning, everyone. 60 years old today. are you having fun? >> friday. >> well, friday. did you get a lot of shopping done while you were here? >> yes, we all did. >> i'm sure there's still more to do. there's always more shopping to do, but still a few weeks to do it. we are going to see a very warm air mass out west. try to move eastward over the course of the next couple of days. but look at what happens behind that warm air. the arctic express we're calling it. it is going to be well below average as we get into the middle of the week. look at these temperatures. seattle's going from 40 degrees tomorrow down to 33 on wednesday. denver dropped from 64 to 22. and billings, montana, 49 down to 3 degrees. that's all we can get out of next wednesday, 3 degrees. it's all back behind that cold front, and that is a storm system that's going to bring rain to seattle, snow to rockies

and we're seeing a bit of a cool start to the morning around the bay area right now. 30s and 40s outside. a little bit of patchy fog. we've been seeing some of that in the north bay with numbers in the 30s around santa rosa and napa. as with get into the afternoon, we'll see a few high clouds drifting by but overall pretty nice forecast. 65 at noon in the south bay. 63 around lunchtime in san francisco. you can see the temperatures in the mid to upper 60s from the north bay into the east bay for the afternoon. we are heading out to the northwest for today's top spot. coming to us from our affiliate ktvb in boise. it's the festival of trees. every thanksgiving week boise transforms into a winter wonderland filled with dozens of trees and plenty of holiday spirit and santa, of course, is even expected to make a surprise visit. so if you're looking for a little bit of holiday as we wrap up thanksgiving weekend, boise is certainly the place to be. not bad. lester?

>> all right. i hope they play that music, too. nice. up next, no need to leave your couch to get your shopping done. some of the deep discounts you'll likely see on cyber monday with a little something for everyone on your shopping list. it's right after these messages. hey there, i just got my bill, and i see that it includes my fico® credit score. yup, you get it free each month to help you avoid surprises with your credit. good. i hate surprises. surprise! at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card and see your fico® credit score.

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this morning in "today's consumer," getting ready for cyber monday. and it's the biggest online shopping day of the year typically, and you and everyone else out there could be spending some $2 billion tomorrow alone. kristen dahlgren has a look at what you can expect. >> reporter: after black friday scenes like this, you can understand why so many prefer to shop from the comfort of their computers. >> i would much rather shop online than deal with black friday crowds. >> the orders go in. you know it's going to be shipped in a timely manner, and you don't have to deal with the hassle. >> reporter: retailers like

target are rolling out the red carpet for cyber monday shoppers. >> over 100,000 items will be on sale or on special deal at target ko target.com. our offers will go live in the middle of the night. the amount of people that stay up and immediately start purchasing is pretty awesome. >> reporter: small businesses are also getting some skin in the game. >> if the customer wants, we can locate a town with a heart, star or house. >> reporter: a. heirloom is offering a 20% off coupon, a sale that pays off as shoppers search for that perfect personalized gift. >> cyber monday is the equivalent of one month's worth of orders. we will probably see about one board sold every three minutes. and then with peak activity, one board being sold every 20 seconds. >> reporter: and all that shopping turns into shipping. fedex is expecting its biggest day ever on monday, 22 million

packages. there you go. that's up 11% from just last year. cyber monday keeps delivery men busy, but does it really deliver the deals? >> cyber monday is worth the wait. i mean, if you're looking for clothing and shoe deals, then cyber monday, even cyber sunday, the day before, is your day to shop. dozens of major retailers are offering sitewide discounts from 20% to 80% off. >> reporter: a chance for bargain hunters to click their way to big savings. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news, new york. and "today's" lifestyle contributor elizabeth mayhew is here. good morning. i'm ready. sploo we're focusing on smaller companies that you might not have heard of where there are great deals. let's start with sea wonder. you can buy everything from clothing to jewelry. if you buy four items, put them in your cart, they can be items on sale or full price, you get 40%. >> but you have to get four. >> to get the 40%, but it's still great and you can almost buy gifts for everybody on your

list. we've got pajamas, sweaters, slippers, you name continue p >> a lot of interesting things. things with monograms you can give somebody. >> exactly right. so check that out. next, brooks brothers. brooks brothers has free shipping. you'll beooking for free shipping almost everywhere. they also have sweaters for both men and women at 30% off. and then they have another 10% off coupon. so this is about bundling. you get actually 40% off and free shipping. so that's a great deal on men's and women's sweaters. >> that's for clothing. it's also a great day to look for tech deals online. >> great tech deals. of course, you're going to check your sick lars and have gotten tons of e-mails, i'm sure, but check out ihome. ihome has everything from speakers to alarm clocks to headphones. and those are all 50% to 75% off. >> 50% to 75%? now you're really speaking my language. >> sigtewide. check out staples. it has this dell computer, a touchscreen, 15-inch. that's savings of $120. so it's a really big savings.

>> radio flyer, these are such classic, i mean, they're iconic, that red wagon and they're having great deals. >> they are. of course, toy shopping, you can go crazy. but what they're doing is they're doing a mystery deal every two hours. that starts 7:00 central standard time. so if you're in new york, that's 8:00 a.m. >> okay. >> and every two hours there will be a different deal. it's a surprise. so sometimes it's ride-ons, sometimes it's the trikes. >> does it ever come with this cute little guy? because you know any child at home will want the scooter and the little monkey. >> stick in another little surprise gift. head to toys "r" us for select deals on nerf. and lite brix, it's buy one, get one free. >> i feel like i started to see a lot of those buy one, get one free deals. yesterday lester holt said to me, i'm a little behind on my shopping. i think everyone's getting popcorn this year. did he call you? >> popcorn is a super popular gift.

especially for families. food is always -- if you don't know what to give, you can always give food. so the popcorn factory has 30% off on select tins which is a great deal. and then godiva has a 40% off on some gift baskets and boxes. and they're quite big and large. so you can also, you know, get deals that way. >> and then you can maybe share them with someone who has an office next door for you. just a thought. >> i have a feeling you're getting popcorn. you can give them knowledge. >> great deals. i'm excited for them. elizabeth, thanks so much. just ahead, dylan is off to santa school. but first, these messages. ♪ [ male announcer ] even well-planned holidays can wind up at the corner of "stockings are stuffed" and "quick -- duck!" luckily, walgreens is always nearby, so it's easy to get in and out for extra stocking stuffers... or anything else you might suddenly need. stop by walgreens anytime

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>> clearly. >> which one of us went? >> gee, i don't know. >> you know, it's not easy being

mrs. claus or kris kringle. at santa claus school, the students learn that firsthand. and of course i learned how to become the perfect mrs. claus. >> reporter: it's beginning to look a lot like christmas, but this isn't the north pole. >> holy peppermint sticks, look choose here! >> reporter: in midland, michigan, santa -- correction, 120 santas -- are making their lists and checking them twice. >> ho. ho! >> they're looking you up and down. they're staring at your hair. they're staring at your eyes, your fingers, your lips. >> reporter: at the charles w. howard santa claus school, an annual three-day crash course in all things father christmas, and the perfect place to clear up a few questions that have been on my mind. so are you the real santa, or are you santa's helper? >> i'm one of the helpers. >> does mrs. claus have a first name? >> some people like to call her

mary. >> how many rain dear . >> prancer, dancer, comet, cupid, donnder and blitzen and f course rudolph. >> reporter: started 76 years ago, this school the oldest in the world attracts kris kringles from across the country. >> those fellows in there, they're portraying the image of santa. they want to show people this man that stands for all good things. >> reporter: santa dave becker is a retired principal from illinois. and from indiana, santa larry schuler manages a utility company. ♪ you know dasher >> reporter: the curriculum leaves no detail out when it comes to old st. nick. you can't have santa school without having reindeer. >> i think it's important they get to see what one acts like and looks like. >> reporter: which two reindeer do you have here? >> comet and blitzen. >> reporter: but really, what is santa without his missus? what is it about the spirit of

chris that is that mrs. santa also has to embrace? >> remember it's a privilege. it's an honorary position. >> santa! >> the spirit of christmas is love and giving. it grows in everyone's heart. ♪ santa claus is coming to town ♪ >> and, vthe role of mrs. claus is important. sometimes kids can be scared of the big guy. we have to warm them up a little bit. this is fellow student jerry owens. i still you still have the stardust in your beard. >> that's from flying at high altitudes in an open sleigh. >> i've got a question. >> yes. >> how do you get to all those houses in one night, santa? >> if you ate as many cookies as i did in one night, you'd be in overdrive, too. >> and do the carrots really -- do the carrots -- do the reindeer really like the carrots?

>> yes, they do. >> they don't have any other requests this year? >> y'all don't have what they really need, and that's a thing called lycra. that's what they really like to eat. it's like a moss that grows on trees. >> what are boys and girls asking for this year? >> well, really it stays the same. the smaller children are asking for blocks and dolls. the children in between are asking for remote-controlled vehicles and dolls they can dress up that look just like themselves. and then the oldest children, they're asking for electronics. we'll see what we can do about that. but it still beats a pair of christmas socks. >> there you go. >> i have a question, is dylan the most beautiful mrs. claus you've ever seen? >> yes, she is. she's very beautiful. and she was a wonderful mrs. claus at school. yes, she was. >> school was so much fun. you know, of course, when i was hanging out with all of you guys, there was tons of cookies and cupcakes and cakes. >> santa's got to maintain his figure. >> there you go. >> thanks for helping out the big guys. we appreciate it. just ahead, two of the stars

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♪ he loves me! that's right. [ mom ] warm and flaky in 15, everyone loves pillsbury grands! [ girl ] make dinner pop! ♪ >> we are all excited for a big event thursday night. it is the live production of "the sound of music." a classic coming to tv like you've never seen it before. >> there you see it, carrie underwood is going to play maria. and aryan reinhardt plays the eldest of the von trapp family.

>> you get a kiss in this. >> i do. >> don't spoil it. >> this is going to be a little different. you've actually both been in productions of the sound of music. this is not the movie where you're used to, or the stage production. this is something a little special. what's different about it? >> it's the stage production but it's going to be televised. so the order of the songs is a little bit different than what you're used to with the movie. no one can remake the movie, julie andrews is an icon. we're going to bring the stage production to people's living rooms. >> this is live? >> yes. very, very live. >> i keep seeing the promotions for it. how do you put this on live? >> we haven't done it yet. so -- >> i know. our first performance is our preview opening and closing. >> that's a lot of pressure. that's exciting, though. we're used to doing live

theater. so yes, it's different, because it's millions of people versus thousands of people. >> it's got to be different. i was reading an interesting article this weekend saying all the people working on the production, is the fact that you don't have an audience. that's really changed the way you go about getting into character and doing your role. what is it like when you don't have an audience there? >> we've both done it, although laura's done it in a much bigger way. but i'm so used to the pauses where there's clapping and laughter. that is interesting for me. and then i'm like, oh, no, we're still going. there's no break. since there's no audience, people ask how do you get the energy. i think having the cameras and knowing it's so much about your individual expression -- >> having a great casting crew to work with. we'll be watching for you this thursday night on nbc. live at 8:00. you're going to be fantastic. thanks for stopping by this morning. we want to check in one more

time with david gregory for what's coming up on "meet the press." good morning. >> good morning, erica. congressman mike rodders in michigan is here to discuss that. plus i'll go one on one with timothy dolan the archbishop of new york, all coming up this morning on "meet the press." >> we'll be watching. and we're looking forward to it. that will do it for us on this sunday morning. "today" show continues on monday right here on nbc. happy shopping, everyone. right here on nbc. happy shopping, everyone. have a great weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

i'm kris sanchez. coming up next on "today in the bay," detainee or prisoner of war in north korea? more on this developing story as reports surface that 85-year-old merrill newman was actually involved in a top secret mission during the korean war. and breaking news out of new york, more on the train derailment that's killed four people traveling on this last day of the holiday weekend. and why protesters say they will be out in force at this building in redwood city tomorrow morning. this is "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> good morning to you. looking live at the bay bridge toll plaza and the fog that was there yesterday has lifted. nice,